Exclusive Networks throws Javelin into its European security offerings

October 3, 2017

Austin, Texas-headquartered security firm Javelin Networks has signed a “master agreement” with pan-European distributor Exclusive Networks, who will now target hundreds of resellers with Javelin's intrusion prevention and detection technology.

Javelin focuses on protecting Microsoft Active Directory by preventing attackers from stealing user network identities which can be used to cause data breaches. If an attacker manages to get inside a network perimeter to “sniff” the Directory, Javelin's solution floods the attacker's view of the database with “decoy” identities that cannot be used to breach the wider network. The technology also alerts network administrators of nefarious activity to allow them to tackle it.

Javelin was founded in 2014 by three intelligence experts from the Israeli Defence Force, where they were taught to attack organisations through Active Directory, which is not specifically protected by many users of it. Microsoft itself sells ATA Microsoft to help protect Active Directory, but that is mainly an attack observational and alert tool, not one designed to help prevent attacks in the first place.

Greg Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Javelin Networks, said: “Exclusive Networks has earned its name as the disruptive distributor and it appreciates the problems enterprises face, and the depth and differentiation Javelin brings to the table.”

Fitzgerald joined Javelin from artificial intelligence cyber defence start-up Cylance, which is now valued at $1.2bn, and he was responsible for helping Cylance set up a channel in Europe over the past year. At the NetEvents Global Press & Analyst Summit in San Jose last week, Fitzgerald was candid over Javelin's prospects going forward. He told IT Europa: “Javelin may be looking to be bought, it's a niche product that integrates well with other security intrusion and prevention platforms.” Which will be music to the ears of the venture capitalists who recently put $5m into the company.

Greg Fitzgerald added: “Mature hardware manufacturers are planning to sell Javelin on a box with other security features that offer endpoint protection.” IT Europa understands that one company interested in this is Dell EMC, which is looking to push its “open networking” strategy, which involves using technology from other vendors.

Indeed, IT Europa also met Cumulus Networks at the above Summit, whose open source network operating system is now loaded onto a number of network switches sold by Dell EMC instead of Dell's own OS.

“We compete against Cisco and Juniper Networks and their switch OS, many companies, including Amazon Web Services [and Carrefour and Kingfisher], prefer our Linux-based offering to run their networks and infrastructure, which may already have open source elements in it, including OpenStack and Docker,” said JR Rivers, CTO of Cumulus Networks.